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Arizona and Montana stand out as the only states without some form of texting and driving law, but some studies show there's no evidence that laws intended to curb cellphone use behind the wheel reduce crashes.
Fourty-four other states plus Washington, D.C. have laws that ban texting for all drivers, and another four states ban texting for novice drivers.
"Taken altogether there's some form of texting ban in almost all the states and the district, so that leaves Arizona and Montana," said Russ Rader, senior vice president of communications for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "Unfortunately we have found that there's no evidence that various kinds of cellphone restrictions have reduced crashes."
He explained what he referred to as a "confusing conundrum."
"The laws do appear to reduce cellphone use and texting behind the wheel, however there's no evidence that the laws have reduced crashes," Rader said.
He acknowledged that it's a surprising result, but it's been known for some time.
The institute did two studies, one of which examined the effects on insurance claims for collisions in states that enacted handheld cellphone bans, and a second study looks at collision claims frequency in states that enacted texting bans compared with states that didn't. That latest study was conducted in 2010 and since IIHS has continuously monitored claims data for changes. It's still the same, according to Rader.
"There's no effect on crash risk," he said.
Why isn't the crash risk going down with an increase in texting and cellphone laws?
"We don't' know for sure," Rader said.
Part of the reason may be that the distracted driving problem is much larger than just cellphone use behind the wheel, therefore focusing crash prevention efforts on one aspect of a larger issue isn't having a significant impact.
"Drivers do a lot of other things beside using cellphones that distract them and cause crashes," Rader said.
Eating. Spilling coffee. Yelling at the kids. Reading the paper. Grooming. It appears the old school diversions were either replaced by cellphone activities, or they became a part of the whole extracurricular driving routine.
"There's no question that distracted driving is huge, but studies found that it was huge before we all had cellphones," Rader said.
According to IIHS, nine out of ten crashes are due to drivers making mistakes.
"And a lot of that is due to drivers not paying attention," Rader added.
According to 2012 statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver distraction was a factor in 3,328 deaths, which represented 9 percent increase from 2011.
A clear lack of evidence that texting laws prevent crashes hasn't stopped states from banning the practice – except for Montana and Arizona.
But that's not to say lawmakers in those states have been outright opposed to banning texting while driving. Various laws and proposals have been shot down for myriad reasons, and there are plenty of powerful voices in both states behind preventing drivers from looking down at their cellphones.
Montana Insurance Commissioner Monica Lindeen is one of them, and her office issued a statement on her behalf in reply to a request for comment on this story:
"We should ban texting while driving, it's a no brainer."
In Arizona several municipalities have considered or passed texting bans. Phoenix and a few other cities have imposed bans, and the state's other big cities like Tucson and Flagstaff are taking up ordinances to ban texting while driving.
There may be no clear evidence that texting laws prevent crashes, but there is evidence that it's dangerous.
Texas A&M professors examined fatal crashes between 2000 and 2010 in 48 states without texting bans using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and issued a study earlier this month showing that strict laws banning texting behind the wheel prevent nearly 20 deaths per year.
University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers earlier this year in a study from 2000 to 2010 found that laws allowing police officers to pull over all drivers who are texting resulted in a 5 percent reduction in the incidence of fatal accidents among people ages 15-21. However no type of anti-texting law reduced fatality rates for individuals above age 21.
There are plenty of lobbying groups armed with this sort of information that are pushing for stronger texting while driving laws in all of the states.
"Texting while driving is just plain dangerous," said Nicole Mahrt Ganley, a spokeswoman for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. "All distracted driving is dangerous from eating and drinking, fussing with pets, putting on makeup, talking on the phone, etc. We need to turn the clock back and making driving the priority, not operating a mobile office or communications center."
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subset: commoncrawl


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With more and more people using the internet to find local businesses, now more than ever, it's important that you have a strong online presence. Just having a website is no longer enough. Now you need more than a website to rank high on the search engines. Social media, online business directories, backlinks, content, etc. all factor into how Google and the other search engines determine whether you rank on the first page of the search engine results pages (SERPs) – or not.
One way to increase your odds of ranking higher on Google is by claiming and optimizing your free Google My Business (GMB) online business listing.
What is Google My Business?
Google wants to make sure that the information they provide searchers is accurate and informative. They also want to help local businesses. Google gives qualifying local businesses a FREE online listing that local businesses can claim and verify. This listing includes your company's name, address, phone number (NAP), business hours, and other information that helps local customers find you online.
If you haven't claimed your company's Google My Business listing yet, visit https://www.google.com/business to get the process going.
Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing can also help increase your chances of showing up in the coveted Google "Local 3-Pack" like below:
And the information you include in your GMB listing will also show up in your business' knowledge panel that appears on the right-hand side of Google results when someone searches for your company's name on Google.
After setting up their Google My Business listing, most companies just forget about it. But what many business owners don't realize is that Google gives you several different options to optimize your listing and allows you to actually interact with potential customers through your Google My Business listing. Want to learn about some of these cool features?
Google My Business Posts
GMB Posts are almost like "mini-ads" or social media posts. You can use these Posts to promote a special offer, an event you're having, a holiday, product, or service – you name it! Creating your Post is easy. Simply login to your Google My Business dashboard, and you'll see the Posts option on the left-hand side:
Go ahead and have fun with your Posts! Make them fun, creative – something that will grab your potential customers' attention. Your Post will show up on your knowledge panel and will help you engage with your future customers.
Posts stay up for seven days or if you've created an event post, it'll be removed after the event date.
Does creating a Google My Business Post help your local rankings? Local SEO gurus Joy Hawkins and Steady Demand tested them, and they found that making Google My Business Posts can improve rankings.
Questions & Answers
Did you know that Google allows people to ask you questions through your Google My Business listing? Yup. This new feature allows you to directly interact with potential customers. And because Google looks at each and every interaction and engagement you and your customers have with each other, it's a great thing for both of you!
Keep an eye on your GMB dashboard for a notification that a person has asked a question, and be sure to answer the question promptly.
Change Your Business Category
When you set up your Google My Business listing, you were asked to select categories for your business. Often people select the wrong category – or select too many categories (which can dilute your business type.) Additionally, depending on the type of industry you're in, you may have the same category as several other competitors so you're competing head-to-head with them for rankings. This type of situation is common for attorneys at the same law firm or realtors.
If you're not showing up high in local search results, check and see what your higher-ranking competitors have selected for their category, and either select the same category they have or pick a different one. (Now, this is not an overnight win – there will be trial and error with this method.) But with a little testing, you could hit it BIG.
Just look at the jump one of my clients received after we switched her category from the general category of "Lawyer" to "Family Law Lawyer." Not only did she leapfrog in the rankings, but since she truly does specialize in Family Law, it was a better fit for her professionally, too!
Need some help finding the best category for your business? Check out Pleper.com's GMB Categories Tool.
Another cool feature that Google offers is Messaging. Yes, potential customers can send you a text message with questions they may have, or ask you to contact them about doing business. For some professionals, sharing your mobile phone number may not be the best option, but for some businesses – especially service businesses – it's a great way for potential customers to quickly connect with you (and for you to connect back to them!)
Check Your Google My Business Listing At Least Weekly
Most people don't realize that anybody – even your competitors – can make changes to your Google My Business listing. (Yup! Scary, but true.) This means that you need to be vigilant about checking your listing on a regular basis to ensure that someone with malevolent intentions didn't make erroneous changes that could harm your business – and your rankings. I recommend that you check your listing for accuracy at least weekly.
There Are Several More GMB Features – And More Coming!
These are just a few of the cool features that Google makes available to searchers and business owners. Llog into your GMB dashboard, and check out the other options that are available to you. Have fun, and engage with your customers! It can help you get more customers and show Google that you're engaged, which could help you rank higher!
Copyright © 2023 SCORE Association, SCORE.org
Funded, in part, through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.


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Dead Sea Minerals to Glowing Skin
When many of us think about taking care of our bodies, we think about diet, exercise, and moderation on activities such as drinking alcohol or staying up too late. One thing that many people neglect is the amount of time and effort that should go into a proper skin care regimen. The skin is the biggest organ on your body, and trying to take care of it can be a daunting task in today's world, with the wide plethora of skin care options and application techniques.
The first step to keeping your skin healthy and happy is making sure that you're keeping it clean. While showering once a day is the basic hygienic thing to do, the exposed parts of your skin can encounter far more dirt and contaminants throughout the day than that covered with clothing. To help keep your skin clean, it's recommended that you wash your face and neck both morning and evening.
When you do wash your face, make sure you simplify the ingredients you're using. Getting a good face wash or scrub is vital to keeping skin healthy and happy. So many of the items on the market today have excessive amounts of chemicals that can be harmful to your skin. Simplifying with more natural products such as Ahava, which utilize natural exfoliants like Dead Sea Minerals, will help keep your skin free from unnecessary dryness which other products' chemical composition can cause. Leading natural brands (like Ahava) tend to have a wide variety of types of cleansers for you to choose from, giving you plenty of choices to choose from so you can get the scrub or cleaner that's right for your skin type.
The final element to making sure your skin stays fresh and clean is one that many don't think about. That element is making sure you've got a fresh, clean, soft towel to pat your face dry with once you've finished washing. Using a dirty towel to dry your face after you've cleaned it tends to defeat the purpose of cleaning in the first place. It's recommended that you replace the hand-towel you're using to dry your face every two days. The towel you use for your face should be used only for your face, as well, with a separate one designated for hand drying and other such tasks.
Getting fresh, clean skin isn't as hard as some make it out to be. By taking a few minutes every morning and evening to think about your skin, you'll ultimately lead yourself into a healthier life with healthier skin.


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Some folks thought it was "inflammatory." Some said it was "irresponsible," others, "absurd," still others, "disappointing."
Those are some of the words affronted conservatives used in emails last month to describe my column on the 20th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. In it, I noted how Timothy McVeigh's act of domestic terrorism shed light on a movement of like-minded zealots motivated, as he was, by hatred of the federal government and rejection of its authority.
"Twenty years ago," I wrote, "the idea of anti-government resistance seemed confined to a lunatic fringe operating in the shadows beyond the mainstream. Twenty years later, it is the mainstream, the beating heart of the Republican Party. And while certainly no responsible figure on the right advocates or condones what he did, it is just as certain that McVeigh's violent antipathy toward Washington, his conviction that America's government is America's enemy, has bound itself to the very DNA of modern conservatism."
That's the argument conservatives found "hateful" "sickening," and "dishonest."
So it is, depending upon your religious outlook, a fortuitous coincidence or superfluous evidence of God's puckish sense of humor that a few days later comes news of conservatives accusing the federal government of trying to take over the state of Texas. It seems the four branches of the U.S. military are gearing up for Operation Jade Helm 15, an eight-week training exercise across seven states. Right-wing conspiracy theorists online and on radio are claiming the exercise is actually a pretext for a federal takeover of the Lone Star State, with — get this — abandoned Walmarts to be used for the processing of prisoners!
Nor is this being laughed off by conservatives in positions of authority. To the contrary, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered the state guard to monitor the exercise to safeguard Texan's "civil liberties." Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert has asked the military to change the exercise. Senator and presidential wannabe Ted Cruz said he checked with the Pentagon and while he accepts that it has no plans to conquer Texas — how magnanimous of him — "I understand the reason for concern and uncertainty" because the Obama administration "has not demonstrated itself to be trustworthy."
Forgive me if I don't spend a lot of space pointing out that this is stupid, though I can't resist asking: If the Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force were, indeed, planning to take over Texas, just what does Gov. Abbott think the state guard would be able to do about it?
There is, however, a more pressing observation to be made. After all, chances are good you've never heard about any of this — the story hasn't garnered major headlines — and that, hearing of it now, you are not terribly surprised. That speaks pointedly of how inured we have become to the insane, paranoiac, anti-government prattle flowing like sewage from the political right. Duly elected leaders, putatively responsible people, give credence to the crazy idea that the federal government is about to attack its second most populous state and we shrug because it's just another Tuesday in the lunatic asylum of American politics.
Look, I get it: No one wants to be compared to McVeigh. And I'll repeat: No one in a position of responsibility embraces his prescription of terrorist violence. But it seems to me beyond argument that in the philosophical struggle for the soul of conservatism, he lost the battle and won the war. Much of what now passes for conservatism proceeds from extremes of government loathing that would have stunned Ronald Reagan himself.
Some of my readers used many colorful words to characterize that argument. Here's the word I'd use:
(Leonard Pitts is a columnist for The Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL, 33132. Readers may contact him via email at email@example.com.)
Photo: Matthew Prosser via Flickr


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Thinking of switching surfaces this summer? If volleyball is your game, try changing your environment while still playing a sport you love.
Before you trade in the hard court for the hot sand, here are four things to keep in mind as you transition from indoor volleyball to the beach.
Beach Volleyball Beginner Tip #1: Court Sizes
Court sizes for indoor and beach volleyball are very different. Indoor courts are 18m x 9m, with a parallel attack line that is 3m from the center line. Back row players must stay behind this line when hitting the ball.
Beach courts are smaller--16m x 8m and there is no attack line. A player may hit the ball from anywhere on their side of the net. If you wonder why the beach court is smaller, try a quick lateral sprint through the sand and see how much speed (and breath) you lose. A smaller court ensures that the ball will stay live longer and rallies will be more entertaining.
Beach Volleyball Beginner Tip #2: Balls
Indoor volleyballs are made of leather and are heavier than outdoor balls. Indoor volleyball is a game of power and the heavier balls move quicker and can be hit harder.
Beach volleyballs are softer, lighter and a bit bigger than indoor balls. The lighter weight allows them to float more in the air, allowing good players to use the weather to their advantage.
If you want get serious, or at least look serious when you're playing, buy the yellow-and-white-striped Wilson beach volleyball. This is the official ball of the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP -- aka the pro beach circuit).
These balls are not cheap. They typically run $50, but if you're lucky you can find them for $30-40. Any ball that is less than $30, is painted with plumeria flowers or glows with fluorescent coloring, is a knock-off.
Beach Volleyball Beginner Tip #3: Players Per Side
Indoor volleyball is played with six per side. Each person has a specialized position and there are complex rotations and switches going on throughout games to ensure that each person remains in their designated position.
Beach volleyball is typically played with doubles. There are no specialized positions, only a left and a right side. Most beach players are well-rounded and can hit, dig and block.
At the higher levels, one player is dedicated to blocking and one to digging, but if you're just learning, grab a side and share the responsibilities. If you want to be taken seriously, don't play with more than two per side. Packing as many friends as possible on the court and blasting Lady Gaga from your boom box on the sideline are dead giveaways that you're just out for fun rather than skill development.
Beach Volleyball Beginner Tip #4: Scoring
With indoor volleyball, a match consists of five sets, or games. The first team to reach 25 points wins the set. Three sets wins the match, and the fifth tiebreaker set, if necessary, is only played to 15 points. Teams switch sides after every game. In beach volleyball, a match consists of a series of best-of-three game, with each game played to 21 points. Two sets wins the match, and the third tiebreaker set, if necessary, is also played to 15 points.
In both indoor and outdoor volleyball, you must win by two points. Another similarity is both games use rally scoring, meaning you do not have to serve the ball to win the point. The team that wins the rally, wins the point.
Are you ready? Those are the basics, so now it's time to get out of the gym and into the sun. Challenge yourself and try a new twist on an old favorite.
See more volleyball drills or find volleyball leagues near you.
Shannon Fiack played intercollegiate volleyball at the University of California, Davis. She has been living in San Diego for the past 6 years and frequently plays beach volleyball in the southern California area.


text:
In tough Minn. race, Cravaack says he's 'centrist'
By MARTIGA LOHN Associated Press
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- After being swept into office on a tea party tide, Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack is now portraying himself as a middle-of-the-road lawmaker as he tries to keep his job in a northeastern Minnesota district with a long tradition of electing Democrats.
The freshman lawmaker, 52, won his seat two years ago after narrowly upsetting 18-term Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar. Now, he's a prime target for Democrats seeking to overturn Republican rule of the House. Outside groups are already involved in the contest pitting Cravaack against the winner of a three-way Democratic primary on Aug. 14, and more outside money is expected to pour in after the primary.
In an Associated Press interview this week, Cravaack built his case for a second term by emphasizing votes he cast against his party and time spent in the 8th District after his family moved to New Hampshire last year. Cravaack, who defeated Oberstar by portraying him as out of touch with the district, now lives in North Branch and visits his wife and two sons when he can, often on Sundays. He said he spends as much time as possible on the ground in the 32,696-square-mile district, which is Minnesota's second-largest and bigger than 11 states.
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"I work for the people of the 8th District," Cravaack said. "They are my boss, and I've never lost sight of that."
As evidence of his independence from a deeply unpopular Congress, Cravaack cited his vote against raising the nation's debt limit last year and pro-labor votes against multiple proposed bans on prevailing wage agreements. Cravaack broke from fellow Minnesota GOP Reps. Michele Bachmann, John Kline and Erik Paulsen on the wage issue, while he and Bachmann voted against the debt limit increase supported by Kline and Paulsen. The National Journal and the conservative Club for Growth ranked Cravaack as less conservative than Bachmann, Kline and Paulsen.
Cravaack also plugged his amendment to a pending transportation bill that would strengthen requirements to use domestic steel in federal transportation projects, a big issue for the Iron Range's taconite mining industry and its blue-collar workers. He said he fought fellow Republicans to keep the requirement in the bill.
"I got thumped on," Cravaack said. "I shouldn't say thumped on. I had to debate quite intensely in committee with a fellow Republican from California who wants to bring cheap slab steel in."
He said he also pushed back against Republican colleagues who questioned whether his bill for a road project at the Grand Marais airport could be characterized as an earmark. He said no, and President Barack Obama signed the bill into law last week.
Cravaack's Democratic foes -- former Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson, former state Sen. Tarryl Clark and former Rep. Rick Nolan -- have characterized Cravaack as too conservative for a district with Democratic roots. In AP interviews during the past two weeks, all stressed their ties to the area, in part to raise questions about Cravaack's residency.
Cravaack said all three are too liberal for the district.
He also rattled off numbers about his constituent work -- 29 town hall meetings, 13 telephone town halls, more than 300 staff visits to cities throughout the district. The former Navy captain and commercial pilot said extensive, frequent travel to stay connected with the district, fulfill his duties in Washington and visit his family in New Hampshire doesn't faze him.
"It's kind of like being in the military again," said Cravaack, who brought a five-hour energy drink to the interview.
He said his family moved after his wife, Traci, received a promotion with a job on the East Coast. Initially, they kept living in Lindstrom with child care for their sons while they commuted to their jobs. The decision to move the boys came after one fell off a swing in the basement and suffered a seizure when they were both away. Cravaack said his wife now is able to work from home more often.
"My wife has a career and I have a career and we do the best we can do balance all of them," he said.
Cravaack is raising as much money as he can while the Democrats focus on the primary. He started April with $628,000 in the bank. Only Clark came close, with $418,000.
It's a stark difference from 2010's underdog campaign, fueled by $10 and $20 donations. This time, Cravaack has three paid campaign staffers instead of an all-volunteer staff who got occasional stipends for gas and babysitting. He doubled the number of volunteer county "captains" in his network.
Cravaack also is reminding voters of his union background, which includes walking a picket line as an airline pilot. The operating engineers and carpenters unions have given to his campaign.
He's also touting two proposed precious metals mining projects in the Iron Range. On Friday, he presided over a quarterly meeting of his advisory group of state and federal agencies for an update on a project proposed by PolyMet Mining Corp.
He said existing laws will ensure that no harm comes to the environment from the project Polymet has said would create about 350 jobs.
"I can't go anywhere in the 8th District, especially in the Range area, where people aren't saying, 'When are you going to get PolyMet going?'" Cravaack said.


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Just when you think you've seen everything, you get the following: the next leader of China, a nation of 1.3 billion people vying to supplant the United States as the world's largest economy, flies to America on a goodwill tour and goes to…a farm in Iowa. Yes, Vice President Xi Jinping will spend the evening in Muscatine, Iowa, in the Victorian farmhouse he briefly lived in more than a quarter century ago, when he was an official from the Chinese province of Hebei sent to learn Iowa's agricultural innovations and bring them back to a China that was then struggling to increase crop yields.
Hardly the familiar stuff of great power politics, yet it's the most dramatic gesture imaginable, and one that says legions about the true nature of the evolving economic relationship between China and the United States. That relationship is framed in politics as fraught and problematic, even threatening to the U.S. power. But Xi's visit, not just to Iowa but also to Washington and ending in California, underscores that it is a relationship of immense mutual benefit and deep mutual dependency.
As the American campaign season heats up, so too does the rhetoric that the American economy is being fatally undermined by China and its unfair practices, its undervalued currency, and its closed system. Anti-China policies have become a key element of Mitt Romney's platform, as he asserts his intention to confront the Chinese and stop them from chronic cheating. China in Michigan or Ohio is pure electoral red meat: the decline of manufacturing jobs in those states is seen as directly tied to Chinese competition.
And yet for Iowa, and for large swaths of the American economy, the story couldn't be more different. China last year purchased more than $20 billion of American agricultural goods, the bulk of which are soybeans. We hear a lot about how cheap Chinese labor is destroying American industry but considerably less about how hungry Chinese consumers are invigorating American agriculture, or about how an increasing wealthy Chinese middle class is buying American goods and services, everything from Nike shoes to IBM advice to GM cars and Kentucky Fried Chicken, at a much faster rate than Americans are.
The final stop on Xi's trip is Los Angeles, whose port, along with Long Beach, is vital to trade between the United States and China, both imports and exports, and provides Southern California with legions of jobs. There too the relationship is clearly one of mutual benefit rather than competition, which is a theme Xi intends to highlight on his visit this week.
No doubt this is a fraught and unusual year for the two countries. The leadership of both nations is up for grabs and could change by the year's end, though President Hu almost certainly will be replaced by Vice President Xi. That makes the landscape especially treacherous. China has its own domestic critics of the conciliatory nature of the relationship, and they interpret American anti-Chinese rhetoric as proof that the United States ultimately seeks to stifle and humiliate China.
The American tendency to blame China for assorted domestic economic ills is one of the more troubling features of contemporary politics and society. Four years ago, the culprit was an undervalued Chinese currency, which was supposedly 25 percent too low. Now the currency has risen more than 25 percent, yet American critics still contend it is far too low. There have been massive and destructive dislocations to the American middle class and to manufacturing jobs over the past decade. During that time, China has become a bastion of low-cost manufacturing. But connecting those dots as cause and effect is largely a mistake.
Manufacturing jobs started disappearing from the American heartland long before the rise of China—to Japan and Taiwan in the 1960s and 1970s, and then to Mexico in the 1980s. China is just the latest iteration, and in the past decade, technology and automation have done far more to eliminate manufacturing jobs. The relentless demand for low-cost goods in the United States, combined with the incentives of capitalism to reduce costs and maintain margins, has propelled these trends, not the rise of China.
What's more, trade statistics obscure the fact that many of those goods that show up as Chinese imports and add to our trade deficit are American products made in China. Those iPhones and iPads, much in the news because of controversy over working conditions at the Foxconn factories in southern China, may show up as Chinese imports. But those products generate incomes not just for Apple, but for longshoreman at the port of Long Beach, intense 20-somethings working at Apple stores, and American chipset makers such as Broadcom.
Xi arrives saying all the right things about "peaceful rise" and working together and mature, calm management of the world's most important economic relationship. The Obama administration also has struck a balance between forceful and behind-the-scenes objections to Chinese trade practices, currency levels, and cyber-attacks on the one hand, and more constructive language in public. That may be unsatisfying to those who crave a more muscular stance in politics and international relations, but it recognizes the world we are in as one where suasion and negotiation are more vital tools for managing economic interdependence than bluster.
Finally, China has been and will likely be the largest foreign creditor of the United States, holding in excess of $1.1 trillion of U.S. Treasuries. Many Americans see that as liability, but for now, with the Chinese currency pegged to the dollar and the two markets so interlinked, it is as much of a liability for the Chinese. Put another way, these debts join the two systems. For now, China remains deeply needful of U.S. capital and American innovation, and reliant on American and many other foreign companies for ideas, systems, and investment. Yes, that has changed markedly in the past two years, as Chinese wealth accumulates along with domestic Chinese expertise. And some believe that conflict between an emerging power such as China and an established one such America is inevitable, regardless of how well leaders manage the tensions. But for now, these are still intertwined systems depending on the health of both sides for the health of each side.
Xi clearly gets that. Hence his pre-presidential visit full of symbolism and soothing words. The future of this relationship and whether it benefits the United States, however, will depend not on dulcet tones adopted by China in public or ruthless competition in private. Instead it will rest on whether the United States and the American economy can find a new groove of innovation and competition that renew the competitive edge the United States has enjoyed for the past 60 years. It hardly matters what China does or says, nor whether we get tough. What matters is how the United States manages itself in the years to come. Blaming China may vent some steam, but it will solve those challenges not at all.


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Fascist Guy
Fascist Guy | ||||||||||||
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Fascist Guy is a British animated television sitcom created by Seth MacFatherland and broadcast by UK Hitler Channel. The series stars the Griffins, a typical white supremacist family and centres on the hilarious exploits of Nick, the head of the family and an amateur politician.
The series is also broadcast in the United States, originally by Fox — however, finding Nick's views too left-wing for their tastes, Fox dropped the show in 2003. Fans must now access the Ku Klux Klan's YouTube channel in order to view episodes, as to date no further mainstream television channels been willing to show the series.
Main characters
Nick Griffin
Husband to Lois and father to Meg[1], Chris and Stewie, Nick is also chairman of the British National Party - a running gag throughout the show is Nick trying to express his views on immigration, religion and race in modern Britain and, inevitably, ending up looking foolish as other characters effortlessly pick holes in his philosophies until they fall apart. However, Nick - who is revealed as being of below average intelligence in several episodes and refers to himself as "retarded" on occasions - is unable to see the idiocy of his own arguments and continues to support them.
Nick, a sweaty and overweight man, is usually seen wearing a white shirt and green trousers - however, in one early episode Lois disturbs him in the bedroom where he is seen dressed in the uniform of a female SS officer and masturbating to a photograph of Hitler. He also has a glass eye following an accident at his holiday home in France in 1990 involving a shotgun cartridge lodged in some firewood. His behaviour suggests that the exploding cartridge also damaged parts of his brain.
Lois, wife to Nick and mother to the three children, was previously engaged as a BNP fundraiser. However, since becoming a mother she has given up party politics due to Nick's belief that "a woman's place is in the home." As a gifted pianist[1], she earns extra money to support her family by giving piano lessons - she reveals in episode 67 her belief that Nick has "spent his time playing at stupid politics. To Nick, it's all a game. I wouldn't mind one bit if he stopped playing make-believe, got a proper job and helped me raise his children."
- ↑ Her orchestral renditions of music by popular group Skrewdriver have achieved moderate commercial success.
Meg, at 17, is the Griffins' oldest child and is the constant target for her father's cruel humour and emotional abuse ever since Nick noticed that her trademark beanie hat looks suspiciously like a yarmulke. "Hey Meg," he asks in episode 14, "What's that on your head? That looks like a fucking Jew's skullcap to me. Are you a fucking dirty kike, Meg?" He then proceeds to savagely beat his daughter into a coma, carving a swastika into her forehead with a knife. Lois is able to pacify him, reassuring him that she would never let anyone but a white Englishman[1] into her bed, but Nick remains suspicious and continues taking out his hatred on Meg - he eventually forces her to leave the family home. In later episodes, Nick is forced to try to claim that he is not an anti-semite; but is unable to disguise his loathing for the girl and through his behaviour towards her often accidentally reveals his true feelings about Jews.
- ↑ Note: As a fascist, Nick is unable to comprehend the idea that Jews can be both white and English - even white English Jews.
Chris is a large and hulking lad of around 14 years of age who idolises his father and acts as one of his highly-trained and disciplined bodyguards in public - that he is also intellectually simple is made evident by the fact that Nick is often successfully pelted with eggs by anti-fascist protestors, eggs that Chris could easily deflect were he able to comprehend devices as complex as an umbrella. In an attempt to clean up his party's image, Nick has demanded that all members keep themselves out of trouble and avoid violence - he is continually exasperated by his son who, like many other members, regularly succumbs to the charms of so-called Paki-bashing incidents during which they physically attack ethnic minorities.
Whereas Nick is, in many ways, little more than a briefly entertaining buffoon, Stewie appears a highly dangerous character who, as has been demonstrated on numerous occasions, has access to weapons and explosive devices.
A running gag throughout Fascist Guy has been Nick's attempts to distance himself from Stewie, his son; the existence of whom - in typical Nick style when confronted with anything he'd rather not talk about - he has on numerous occasions attempted to claim is entirely fictitious. In Episode 121, the truth was finally revealed when Lois, tired of Nick's denials that Stewie has anything to do with him, arranged a DNA paternity test which proved beyond all doubt that he is Stewie's father - a fact that many Fascist Guy watchers have suspected all along.
Prior to this, in Episode 80, Stewie successfully created a vicious right-wing extremist group known as K18 - K standing for kindergarten and the numbers 1 and 8 corresponding to the letters A and H, the first letters of the name Adolf Hitler whom Stewie openly admires. For a time, K18 was a force to be feared and was responsible for attacks on ethnic minority students at the Happy Bunnies Day Nursery, a kindergarten Stewie attended, and some members were prosecuted and imprisoned as a result.
K18's policy of recruiting the most power-crazed, violent fascists made the group almost universally dreaded; but this policy was, ironically, also responsible for the organisation's demise in the United Kingdom at least - in 1997, a row blew up between Stewie and K18 member Chris Castle over the theft of some decorating tools [1]. Stewie, accompanied by close friend Martin, approached Castle in the kindergarten playground with a view to demanding the return of the tools. However, without warning, Stewie pulled a sharpened pencil from his pocket and stabbed Castle in the neck with it - he died as a result of the attack[2]. Shortly thereafter, a bloody civil war broke out within the group as members began accusing one another of treachery and being undercover agents working for the British Police or Secret Service - allegations that, in time, led most members to leave the group for fear of getting grassed up to the teachers and being forced to spend time on headmistress Mrs. Beswick's naughty chair.
- ↑ Said to have been a pencil case full of crayons and a tube of glitter.
- ↑ Stewie later explained his anger as being down to fact that the pencil case also contained his "very favourite colouring pen, which does red when you draw with it but then if you go over the red with the magic ink that comes out of the other end, the red turns blue and my auntie got me that pen from Disneyworld when she went on holiday and it was my most favouritest pen ever."
Brian is the Griffin's dog but is more family member than housepet. Though proud of his white British heritage, he is also part-German Shepherd, his German great-grandfather having emigrated to London in the 1890s to be a contestant in an early Crufts dog show. Despite having many normal canine characteristics, he also exhibits highly anthropomorphic behaviour not usually seen among dumb animals and displays intelligence on a par with that of humans such as being able to hold conversation and, as was revealed in Episode 38, even teach Law and Government and Politics at college level. Although Brian fully supports Nick's policies instructing BNP members not to openly espouse racist ideals and philosophies, he sometimes speaks before thinking which can lead to embarrassment for the party as in Episode 67 when he verbally abuses a policeman of Malaysian birth, telling him that "Inferior beings like you probably do not appreciate the principle of free speech." Brian denies the incident, preferring to use the same technique as Nick - just claim it never happened and ignore any evidence to the contrary.
Secondary Characters
Glenn Quagmire
Quagmire, a close personal friend of Nick's, is a serial pervert who has been prosecuted on numerous occasions for his deviant sexual behaviour. This occasionally proves problematic for Nick, not least of all because the BNP proposes to reintroduce capital punishment for murderers, terrorists and paedophiles and because under Nick's guidance they've been trying to convince Britain's electorate that they are the only political party to believe in law and order, decency, family values and justice[1]. In Episode 102, we see how Nick deals with the problem - Quagmire is called to party headquarters and Nick explains to him that if the newspapers get even a whiff of his delinquency he will be immediately expelled from the BNP. In the meantime, so long as he continues to pay his membership fee and helps raise funds, they'll turn a blind eye to it. "We have to say all that stuff just to look good, or we won't get any votes," says Nick in the episode, "But you know as well as I do that all we're really interested in is establishing a white, monocultural Britain. So don't get caught."
The Evil Monkey
As previously stated, Chris Griffin is not academically gifted and is also prone to neurosis, occasionally displaying evidence of paranoid schizophrenia (denied by Nick, who believes that disabled people have no value and should be euthanised). Having been subjected to his father's racist tirades (which often include pseudo-scientific arguments claiming to prove that Africans are physically and mentally closer to apes than to humans) since birth, Chris suffers from hallucinations in which an evil monkey appears in his bedroom cupboard - in at least one episode, the monkey is heard to say "Yes mon - smoke dis irie 'erb and chill to de reggae beat" as it hands him a marijuana joint. When he tells his father about this vision, Nick explains it as proof that black people wish to subjugate white youths by tranquilising them with illegal drugs and that by doing so they will be able to infiltrate - and eventually destroy - white culture. "That," he tells the boy, "is why we must be ever vigilant. Never turn your back on a nigger, because a nigger is always waiting to pounce."
Mark Collet
Mark Collet is Nick's ex boyfriend, often referred to as his "right hand man" as this is the hand he used most of the time. Mark was a friend of the family for a while, covering his enthusiastic homosexuality through tirades about AIDs monkeys and bum bandits while wearing tight white T-shirts and making little boy lost faces at Nick. Nick and Mark's relationship was an open secret in the family until they fell out, at which point Mark started sending death threats to Nick and his family, which would've been scary if he didn't look like a Depeche Mode groupie. Mark's final appearance to date was when he threw a pineapple threw the family's window and ducked for cover thinking it was a grenade.
Several critics have noted similarities between certain Fascist Guy plotlines and those of The National Front, another animated comedy created by Matt Gestapo and John Tyndall. While claims of this type have stopped short of outright accusations of plagiarism, they continue to be heard.
Theme song and opening credits
" | It seems today, that all we see Is Pakis in the movies and wops on TV. Nick's a white supremacist guy. He's...a...Nat-Soc...guy! |
" |
With the exception of some special themed episodes, each Fascist Guy opens with Lois sitting at a piano where she begins a song complaining about the increasing numbers of ethnic minorities found throughout Britain and lamenting the decline of "traditional" aspects of British life such as cholesterol-laden, greasy food. She is then joined by Nick, and the pair perform a duet. At the start of the second verse, the camera zooms out as the scene behind them is lifted away to reveal a large vaudeville-style stage. The couple are now dressed in Second World War SS uniform and are joined by their dog and children, who wear the uniform of the Hitler Youth, and perform a tightly-choreographed dance routine that ends with all six raising their right arms in a synchronised Nazi salute.
Episode 14: Meg-aresh Zayn!
The Griffin family sit around the dinner table, eating a traditional British meal of curry and lager (Nick refuses to "eat any of that foreign shite," as he constantly tells anyone who will listen). They chat with one another, discussing their day, but Nick is uncharacteristically quiet - he glowers at Meg and it is obvious that he has something on his mind.
"What's that on your head, Meg?" he asks, putting down his kitchen SS dagger and fork.
"It's my beanie, Dad," she tells him. "I'm surprised you've only just noticed it, I wear it all the time."
"Beanie? That looks like a fucking Jew's skullcap to me," he explodes. "Are you a fucking dirty kike, Meg? Lois - get this filthy Yid out of here - she's putting me off my dinner."
Lois does not act quickly enough and Nick loses his temper. He jumps up, knocking the table over with his not-inconsiderable gut, and leaps at Meg. Grabbing her by the hair, he repeatedly punches her in the face and smashes her head against the floor while screaming, "Fucking Jews! Fucking mean, Christ-killing, big-nosed bastards!" until she loses consciousness and slips into a coma. He then picks up a knife which was knocked to the floor when the table went over and uses it to incise a deep swastika wound into the girl's forehead. When she awakes, some weeks later, he tells her that she is an enemy of the Aryan people and is no longer welcome in the Griffin home - this being the inspiration for the episode's title, a combination of the name Meg and the Yiddish term megaresh zayn, "be banished."
In Episode 197 (see below), Nick tries to take advantage of a perceived hatred of Muslims by Jews, trying to persuade Jewish locals to sign his petition demanding that a Muslim family in the area move elsewhere ("preferably back to wherever they came from," says Nick - which turns out to be Yorkshire). In an attempt to disprove allegations that he is an anti-semite, Nick invites Meg to return home explaining the incident as "not, I repeat not, racially motivated. It was not anti-semitic. I cannot have carved a swastika into her head, because I don't even know what a swastika is. And I have no hands, so it'd have been impossible. Those things on the end of my arms..? Oh no - those are, erm, my ears. Actually, what's a Nazi, while we're on the subject? In fact, it never happened. The BBC and the Guardian made the whole thing up. Bloody Jew-loving lefties. Er...I mean..."
Episode 49: Universally Challenged
Nick is always bragging that he was educated at Downing College, University of Cambridge. Trouble is, hardly anyone believes him as they're all convinced he's a lying Nazi toad - everyone is amazed when he provides a certificate to prove that he actually was at Cambridge, and what's more he even managed to get a degree! Unfortunately, he neglects to mention the finer details and is embarrassed when reporters discover that his degree is a Second Class Honours (Lower Division) or 2:2; not actually a very impressive qualification even if it did come from a posh college. Nick seethes, angry at being made to look like a bit of a twat, but suddenly has a bright idea: "I can turn this to my advantage," he thinks, "I'll just claim that the reason I got a crap degree is because of all these bloody foreigners coming over here and taking the First Class degrees, so there's none left for white British people like me!" He sticks to this argument and reels it off to anyone who will listen, but he still looks like a bit of a twat.
Episode 60: The British Empire Strikes Back (Something, Something, Something Right Wing)
This, a rare hour-long feature episode, is loosely constructed as a parody of Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Back and casts Fascist Guy characters in roles inspired by the little-known 1980 movie. In it, Nick decides that the only way to convince society that the white man is superior to all other races is to return to the days when Great Britain ruled the world, to repatriate all ethnic minorities living within her borders and to force them to live in a subjugated and oppressed state back in the countries their ancestors originally came from. He is soon successful in persuading others that his plan will be an effective way of lifting Britain out of economic recession, using financial downturn in the standard way that far-right groups do to convince politically central voters made desperate by unemployment and public spending cuts to support him, aided by the fact that a large percentage of the British population are sufficiently unintelligent to fall for his "Make Britain Great Again" campaign provided he has enough Union Jacks, pictures of Churchill and Spitfires[1] to keep their attention[2]. Before long, immigrants are being sent by the boat-load to warm, sunny countries far away, while the British wait in their damp island home to reap the rewards.
Tragically for Nick, he has neglected to take two important factors into account. One, he's just sent several million hard-working tax-payers overseas which means that, if he is to keep the promise of increased public spending that he made in order to get into power in the first place, he's going to need to ask white British people to pay more taxes. When the Public discover this, the massed sound of early morning cups of tea being spluttered over Daily Telegraphs, Suns and Mails is feared to be an early herald of revolution. Secondly, he soon finds that he has greatly over-estimated Britain's greatness - it seems that Britain is no longer the financial and industrial powerhouse that is was during Victorian times and running an Empire is now far beyond the nation's economic capabilities. Before long, Britain has to ask the International Monetary Fund for an extension on its credit card overdraft limit but, after carrying out a credit check and discovering that it hasn't been paying the monthly installments on that new sofa it ordered from a mail-order catalogue three years ago, it is denied. Britain files for bankruptcy and, within a year, is reclassified as a Third World state by the United Nations[3]. Finally, to add insult to injury, two santimonious African rock stars organise a huge concert to raise money for Britain's starving millions - so Nick looks, once again, like a bit of a twat. Worse still, England has just lost most of her best sportsmen and will never win either the cricket or World Cup ever again.
- ↑ Even if they are Polish Spitfires.
- ↑ Keeping the attention of the British Public is notoriously difficult to achieve, especially if Pop Idol is on television.
- ↑ And that, boys and girls, is why voting BNP is a very silly thing to do.
Episode 197: Hava Nickila
Nick is disgusted to discover that a Muslim family has moved into a house down the road. He immediately organises a petition among local white residents to force them out; claiming that not only will property prices fall, young white women will be at risk of being raped by predatory Muslim men. However, to his shock, he finds that most locals really don't care about the Muslims who have taken over the local shop - in fact, some of them are rather happy because the shop is now open until 11pm every night and sells more interesting food than the Spam and stale white sliced bread which was all it stocked when Old Mrs. Jenkins ran it. Eventually he is successful in getting almost as many signatures as he needs - but it's not quite enough. There's only one thing he can do... persuade local Jewish family the Goldmans to sign. The rest of the episode follows Nick's hilarious slapstick attempts to convince them that although he has previously referred to the Holocaust as the "Holohoax" and verbally abused Jews, he was never an anti-semite and has been grossly mis-quoted. The doorstep conversation that takes place between Nick and Mort Goldman is reproduced below:
Nick: "I can assure you I have never been an anti-semite."
Mort: "But you said you thought it was a pity Hitler didn't finish what he started."
Nick: "No, I never said that."
Mort: "You did [produces video evidence]. You see? You clearly say, "All Jews are bastards and it's a pity Hitler didn't gas the lot of them." It was on the news. Everyone in the country knows you said it. Plus there was that book you wrote, called The Jews Control Everything And It's A Pity Hitler Didn't Gas The Lot Of Them."
Nick: "Er...oh yeah. I might have said that, but it's not what I meant. Sieg heil! Oh shit...um...I mean, sign here?"
Mort: "Fuck off."
See Also


text:
Please share them freely.
These inspirational images are (c) Copyright 2015 by the International Church of Metaphysical Humanism, Inc. Specific images are copyright by their respective owners. Usage fees have been paid by ICMH. Permission is granted to share these images freely so long as no changes or alterations are made. The share link is located below each respective image.


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Need for Speed 3 – Hot Pursuit (walkthrough)
Need for Speed 3 - Hot PursuitPC VERSION
BY Nathan WestUNAUTHORISED FAQ - UPDATED 19TH JANUARY, 2000.
GET THE LATEST AT http://www.rocknet.net.au/~nwestUPDATES IN THIS VERSION - Cheat clarification
Note - This may be the last update to this FAQ due to a decline in interest on
both my part and the players of the game. Once NFS4 is released, then this may
change. Thanks for supporting the FAQ for over a year. My hit-counter, with
about 3500 hits, shows how popular the game has been.For the most recent version - e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com with the
subject NFS3 FAQ. Most references to Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit are
abbreviated as NFS3. See end of FAQ for more details.
Best viewed in Notepad, with "Word Wrap" ON.TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction
1.1 What is Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit?
1.2 What type of game is NFS3?
1.3 Local Versions
1.4 Who are Electronic Arts?2. Game Specifics
2.1 What are the minimum and recommended requirements?
2.2 Which 3D accelerators are supported?
2.3 Is MMX support included?
2.4 Which sound devices are recommended and supported?
2.5 What control devices are supported?3. Modes
3.1 Single Player Race Modes
3.1.1 Single Race
3.1.2 Hot Pursuit
3.1.3 Knockout
3.1.4 Tournament
3.2 Multiplayer
3.2.1 Two Player on the single machine
3.2.2 Multiplayer over network/modem/serial4. Tracks
4.1 What tracks are included?
4.2 What are the track shortcuts?
4.3 Why do some tracks have solid barriers that lead to other roads?5. Vehicles
5.1 What cars are included in this version?
5.2 What cars are included in the local versions?
5.3 What are the cars specifications?
5.4 How do the cars rate against each other?6. Cheat Codes *UPDATED*
7. Author & Contact Information
---------------1.1 What is Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit?
Need For Speed 3 - Hot Pursuit (NFS3) is the latest version of the popular
racing simulation made by Electronic Arts. Released in September 1998, it was
the follow up to two very good but slightly flawed racing games - The Need For
Speed and Need For Speed 2.1.2 What type of game is NFS3?
NFS3 is a simulation involving the racing of high performance cars on
eight tracks. All cars have been fully licensed, and bear their proper names.
All though more arcade than realistic, NFS3 will satisfy those who would like to
take a luxury vehicle out for a spin.
There are two main modes in NFS3, general racing and pursuit. Hot pursuit
mode is the main update to this series. It allows you to be race on a track,
chasing another vehicle(s), while evading the police. You are able to listen in
to their chatter on your scanner, and stay one step ahead of them. However, this
is not always easy with the fantastic AI included in this game.
Hot Pursuit mode also allows you to be the police. Using radar and spike
belts, you must apprehend the speeders by stopping their cars using whichever
method you want. This includes bursting their tires, or ramming them. This is my
most favourite mode in the game.
Like its predecessors, NFS3 also includes modes that allow you to race
against other high powered machines without the hindrance of the police.1.3 Local Versions
EA have produced several different versions of NFS3, depending on the
country you live in, or where you buy the game. The Australian version (the one
I play) contains two extra cars, the Ford GT Falcon, and the Holden HSV GTS. If
anyone knows if these replace any other cars, please tell me. In America, the
version sold in Wal-Mart also has a different car, the Indy pace car.
EA have released versions specific for Australia, France, Germany, Spain,
Sweden and possibly others. This is due to the native language or the side of
the road that you drive on.I DO NOT HAVE A CRACK FOR THIS GAME, SO DO NOT BOTHER ASKING ME FOR ONE (this
has occured a couple of times). Go and buy it, only $AUS49. :-)1.4 Who are Electronic Arts?
Electronic Arts (EA) are one the largest software publishers in the world.
Westwood, EA Sports and BullFrog are their most known brands/studios. Their FIFA
Soccer, Triple Play, NHL, NBA Live and Madden NFL series are best sellers in
their categories. EA are also known for their non-sport titles, including
Dungeon Keeper, Theme Hospital, and Syndicate Wars, just to name a few.2. GAME SPECIFICS
-----------------2.1 What are the minimum and recommended requirements?
They are (as provided by EA) -
Minimum Requirements
* 166 MHz Pentium class processor or compatible (Cyrix, AMD) or 133 MHz Pentium
class processor with graphics acceleration.
* 90 Mb free hard drive space
* 16 Mb RAM
* 4x CD-ROM
* DirectX 5.0 or higher, 1 Mb video card, keyboard
* Windows 95/98 NOT NT (due to DirectX constrictions)Recommended Requirements
* 200 MHz Pentium class processor or compatible
* 110 Mb free hard drive space
* 32 Mb RAM
* 3DFX graphics accelerator card, 16-Bit Sound Card, Mouse, JoystickFor Multiplayer Mode, the following are required -
* Network (2-8 player): 200 MHz or faster, IPX compliant network
* Modem (2): 28800bps or faster modem, high-speed serial port
* Serial (2): Null modem cable, high-speed serial port
* All with 32Mb RAM2.2 Which 3D accelerators are supported?
Any Direct3D or 3DFX video card is supported by NFS3. However, for maximum
compatibility, video cards with the Voodoo, Voodoo Rush, Voodoo 2, Riva 128,
Intel i740, or ATI Rage Pro chipsets are recommended. I personally play with a
Cirrus Logic Laguna 4Mb card, and it runs fairly smoothly in 640x480.
AGP or at least 8Mb on-card memory (depends on chipset) are required for
the realistic dashboards to be seen in 3D accelerated mode. There has been a lot
of discussion on the Internet relating to this, as many see it silly that 8Mb is
needed just to see a dashboard. The dashboard can be seen in software render
mode. I can see the dashboard with only 4Mb of card RAM, but this is because it
is an AGP card.2.3 Is MMX support included?
On what can be seen as a back-flip by EA, MMX is not supported by NFS3.
Need For Speed 2 SE did have MMX support, however, it has been removed in this
version. This may be sign of how overhyped it was by Intel, or there was not
enough time to implement it. After seeing Unreal with MMX, I believe that it is
a good thing to support.2.4 Which sound devices are recommended and supported?
Both Dolby Surround sound and Creative Environmental Audio are supported
in NFS3. Many believe that there is not much difference between these devices,
and ordinary ones on the market. I have not heard the difference, so I am unable
to comment. Normal soundcards are supported.2.5 What control devices are supported?
NFS3 supports the mouse, keyboard, and Windows 95/98 compatible gamepads
or joysticks. It is recommended that 10 or more buttons is available on the
gamepad. The game handles well on the keyboard, so it is not necessary to buy
one of these devices to play it.
Force Feedback is also supported for those lucky enough to own one.3. MODES
--------3.1 Single Player Race Modes
3.1.1 Single Race
This is the mode that most will want to try first. It allows you to race
against a certain number of cars on any track. You are able to drive for 2, 4 or
8 laps, competing against the fastest sports cars in the world.3.1.2 Hot Pursuit
This mode allows you to be chased, or do the chasing. As the one being
chased, you must evade the police as well as stay ahead of your competitor(s).
The cops start chasing you once you drive recklessly, speed or drive on the
wrong side. You start with a certain limit of tickets depending on the number of
laps. Valuable time is wasted when being booked. It you are exceed the number of
allowed tickets, then you are arrested, ending the game.
When acting as the police doing the chasing, you can use your radar and
spike belts to find and stop the offenders. You can even turn on your siren and
flashing lights! Only certain cars can be used in pursuit mode, and those
starting with "pursuit" are used for being the police. The others make you the
speeder.3.1.3 Knockout
You start with seven other competitors, and try to finish the 2-lap
races as high in the ladder as you can. The last placed car after each race is
eliminated, until their are only two left.3.1.4 Tournament
This mode consists of eight 4-lap races, all taking place on different
tracks. The driver with the highest score at the end of the tournament is the
winner.3.2 Multiplayer Modes
3.2.1 Two Player on the single machine
Two people are able to race against each other on the one machine using
split screen play. All of the modes in single player are available in both types
of multiplayer modes. Warning - Split Screen mode effects the performance of the
game, slowing it down. It is only recommended if using a high-class processor or
3D card.3.2.2 Multiplayer over network/modem/serial
Network, Modem and Serial multiplayer are supported by NFS3. A minimum
of a Pentium 200 (or equivalent) with 32Mb RAM is required, as well as a
28800bps or faster modem for modem play.4. TRACKS
---------4.1 What tracks are included?
The tracks included in NFS3 are -
* Hometown - Beginner
* Atlantica - Beginner
* Redrock Ridge - Beginner
* Rocky Pass - Beginner
* Country Woods - Expert
* Lost Canyon - Expert
* Aquatica - Expert
* Summit - Expert
* Empire City - Bonus4.2 What are the track shortcuts?
These shortcuts either save you valuable time, waste time, or provide an
alternative route. If you discover any other shortcuts in the game, please
notify me and I will give you credit in the next update.Hometown - When approaching the first covered bridge soon after the start, there
is a alternative route to the left that goes beside the bridge and the fence.
The car tends to jump when exiting this shortcut, so it may actually waste time.Atlantica - Soon after the rock EA sign, the road splits into two, rejoins, then
splits into two again. On this second split, stay in the right lane, and you
will see a path to the right made of wood. Go through this shortcut, and you
save time.Redrock Ridge - When approaching the hairpin with the very high rock in the
middle, there is a gap between this rock and the wall. This provides another
hairpin that is shorter than the real one, providing valuable time.Country Woods - Just before one of the long hairpins, there is a forest of trees
to the right. The small fence enclosing these trees is open here, allowing you
to enter this shortcut. You must carefully drive through these trees, as some
are close together. Your car will appear on the other side of the hairpin. This
is the best shortcut found in the game.
The second shortcut can only be used when the track is in "backwards" mode.
There is a hairpin that can be seen on the large normal map on the bottom left.
The two roads are very close together, although they differ in height. As soon
as you pass the small fence, drive off this ledge, and fall on to the lower
road. Recover the car (using 'R'), then drive off. This trick does save time
when using a car with good acceleration.Lost Canyon - When approaching the temple ruins (Indian?), drive up the stairs
and jump of them. Be careful where you aim the car, as it is very easy to slam
into one of the pillars after the jump. The longer way is often the better way!Aquatica - There is a road in this track that curves to the left, and is
surrounded by a fence to the left, and a giant wall to the right. As the curve
begins to straighten out, there is a path to the right that provides an
alternate route. This route does not give you much time, and may actually be
slower.Empire City - Just after the start, before you enter the turn, there is a small
gap to your left. After going through this, there is another shortcut behind the
flashing lights ahead of you. The third shortcut is near the end of the lap. It
can be found at the end of the second set of multiple pillars that separate the
lanes. As the pillars finish, a wall on the right made of wood(?) can be seen.
Just as this wall finishes, there is another one made of wood, with grafiti on
it (trust those American youth :-) ). This wall can be knocked down by your car,
and reveals the last shortcut of this track. The end of this shortcut consists
of a small jump, so be careful as you exit.Thanks to Will Vosti and his NFS3 Playstation FAQ for shortcut locations in
Empire City, Aquatica, and Atlantica.4.3 Why do some tracks have solid barriers that lead to other roads?
Although there are nine tracks in NFS3, you may have noticed how certain tracks
look similar. This is because that two different tracks actually consist of the
one general layout. For example, Hometown and Country Woods come from the same
layout, as they both share certain streets. Another example is Redrock Ridge and
the Lost Canyon. Both tracks include the section where the road is divided by
rocks jutting out of the middle of the road.
The solid barriers in the game are the turnoffs for the other tracks. These are
not shortcuts, but are instead the roads for the other tracks.
This description may be a bit confusing, email me if you are a bit confused.5. VEHICLES
-----------5.1 What cars are included in this version?
The default cars included in NFS3 are (plus some secret ones) -
* 98 Corvette C5
* Aston Martin DB7
* Jaguar XK8
* Mercedes SL600
* Italdesign Scighera
* Ferrari 355F1 Spider
* Ferrari 550 Maranello
* Lamborghini Countach 25th
* Lamborghini Diablo SV
* Jaguar Sport XJR-15
* Mercedes CLK GTR5.2 What cars are included in the local versions?
The Australian version includes these cars -
* Ford GT Falcon
* Holden HSV GTSThe Wal-Mart edition includes the Indy Pace car.
5.3 What are the cars specifications?
These are the specs that are included in the game. If you want more engine
detail (horsepower etc) then contact me and I may include them in the next
update. Notice the difference in units when listing the Ford and Holden.
Dimensions are Length x Width x Height.Chevrolet Corvette
Cost - $US38,060
Weight - 3245 lbs
Dimensions - 179.1 x 73.6 x 47.7 inches
Top Speed - 175 miles/hr
0 - 60 miles/hr - 4.7 sec
0 - 100 miles/hr - n/aAston Martin
Cost - $US130,000
Weight - 3913 lbs
Dimensions - 182.9 x 72 x 48.7 inches
Top Speed - 165 mph
0 - 60 mph - 5.6 sec
0 - 100 mph - n/aFerrari 355F1 Spider
Cost - $US140,000
Weight - 2976 lbs
Dimensions - 167.3 x 74.8 x 46.1 inches
Top Speed - 183 mph
0 - 60 mph - 4.6 sec
0 - 100 mph - 10.5 secFerrari 550 Maranello
Cost - $US204,000
Weight - 3726 lbs
Dimensions - 179.1 x 76.2 x 50.3 inches
Top Speed - 199 mph
0 - 60 mph - 4.3 sec
0 - 100 mph - 11.2 secFord GT Falcon
Cost - $AUD69,500
Weight - 1698 kg
Length - 4.931 x 1.888 x 1.394 metres
Top Speed - 235 km/h
0 - 60 mph - 7.7 sec
0 - 100 mph - 18.5 secHolden HSV GTS
Cost - $AUD71,950
Weight - 1764 kg
Dimensions - 4.918 x 1.824 x 1.404 metres
Top Speed - 255 km/h
0 - 60 mph - 6.59 sec
0 - 100 mph - 14.25 secItaldesign Scighera
Cost - not for sale
Weight - 3197 lbs
Dimensions - 170.1 x 78 x 45.1 inches
Top Speed - 186+ mph
0 - 60 mph - 3.7 sec
0 - 100 mph - n/aJaguar XJR-15
Cost - $US821,000
Weight - 2310 lbs
Dimensions - 183.2 x 74 x 45.5 inches
Top Speed - 190 mph
0 - 60 mph - 3.8 sec
0 - 100 mph - n/aJaguar XK8
Cost - $US81,400
Weight - 2310 lbs
Length - 187.4 x 79.3 x 72 inches
Top Speed - 156 mph
0 - 60 mph - 6.4 sec
0 - 100 mph - 16.2Lamborghini Countach
Cost - n/a
Weight - 3685 lbs
Dimensions - 177.2 x 80 x 42.8 inches
Top Speed - 180+ mph
0 - 60 mph - 4.4 sec
0 - 100 mph - n/aLamborghini Diablo
Cost - $US195,900
Weight - 3575 lbs
Dimensions - 178.8 x 81.6 x 44.2 inches
Top Speed - 208 mph
0 - 60 mph - 3.8 sec
0 - 100 mph - 8 secMercedes CLK GTR
Cost - n/a
Weight - 2200 lbs
Dimensions - 194.2 x 78 x 44 inches
Top Speed - 200 mph
0 - 60 mph - 4 sec
0 - 100 mph - 6.5 secThere are a number of sites on the Internet that allow you to download cars and
add them to the game. Cars such as hearses, pursuit cars, Porches, and BMWs are
available. The files must be placed in GamedataCarmodel in its own four-letter
My favourite site is Hacked Speed 3, at http://nfscheats.com/hs3. Here you can
find over 100 cars and other important files. You can find a link to my web site
at this site on the "LINKS" page.
EA promised to add official cars to its site, and so far have to new ones. The
URL for this site is http://www.needforspeed.com.5.4 How do the cars rate against each other?
The figures are derived from the comparison section included in the game. I have
rated each specification out of 5, 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. The
figures seem to have been "made up" by EA, as they seem to similar to be real.
However, I have included them for reference.The results are in this order - Acceleration, Top Speed, Handling, Braking
Chevrolet Corvette - 3.8, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8
Aston Martin - 3.8, 3.8, 2.5, 2.5
Ferrari 355F1 Spider - 3.8, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8
Ferrari 550 Maranello - 3.8, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8
Ford GT Falcon - 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5
Holden HSV GTS - 2.5, 3.8, 2.5, 3.8
Italdesign Scighera - 5.0, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8
Jaguar XJR-15 - 5.0, 3.8, 5.0, 5.0
Jaguar XK8 - 3.8, 2.4, 3.8, 3.8
Lamborghini Countach - 3.8, 3.8, 2.4, 3.8
Lamborghini Diablo - 5.0, 5.0, 3.8, 3.8
Mercedes CLK GTR - 5.0, 3.8, 5.0, 5.06. Cheat Codes
--------------There are several steps before you can enter these cheats. First, select the
number of players from the first menu that appears when you run the game. Next,
select the race mode you want. When the options come up for that race mode,
start typing in the cheats, similar to what you do in the aging game Doom
(except at the menu, and not during the game).
Do not type the cheats in as your name. You will a confirmation sound after you
type in each cheat, if the music volume is low.
Note - when the cheats with the prefix "Go" are used, no matter what car you
select in the menu, you will race with the cheat car. Once you type the cheats
with no "Go" prefix, then these cars are always available in the car selection
menu.Cars Enable all cars
Elnino Enables the bonus car El Ni


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One the sad realities of my life is that I know more about bluegrass music than I know about pretty much anything else. I can't help it, but I'm a walking encyclopedia of bluegrass music trivia. Ask me a question sometime like "What bluegrass fiddle player appeared in the movie Star Trek?" I can answer it. It's a spiritual gift. (The answer, by the way, is Byron Berline.)
Most of what I know about bluegrass music is found on a website that I own and keep up-to-date called Bluegrass Bios. I created it for bluegrass DJ's like myself who want to keep their facts straight when they are on the air. Go ahead, check it out and you can be a bluegrass music expert too.


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16 Mar 2008
Passion and Compassion
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For 16 March 2008, Passion Sunday, based on Matthew 21:1-11
When Jesus and the disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, "The Lord needs them.†And he will send them immediately.' This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
'Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
'Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!'
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, 'Who is this?' The crowds were saying, 'This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.'
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.


text: From near 8,800 feet the Point Imperial viewpoint at the north rim of the Grand Canyon offers sweeping views of the northeastern part of the national park. In the foreground, carved out of ancient petrified sand dunes the spire of Mount Hayden reaches a peak just 400 feet below the view point. Beyond Mount Hayden nearly in a line from the view area, the Little Colorado River joins the Colorado from its own smaller but still massive Little Colorado canyon. Upstream and to the left of the view, the Colorado cuts through Marble Canyon, too deep to be seen from this vantage point. Further to the north, the viewer can make out the broad expanse of the desert plateau with the river carving through it as it descends from Lake Powell.


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For the best Roofers Dublin company, call Ace Roofing Dublin.
For you to be able to experience an authentic sauna experience, you must try any of the Finnish saunas in Finland. Since it is a part of their culture, they even have several customs that people do not usually do in other places offering sauna. They first start it off by sitting in the room having a warm temperature of eighty to one hundred degree Celsius.
sauna, finnish, finland, saunas, finnish saunas, room, whole, warm, experience, country, stove, smoke, used, people, having, whole sauna session, whole sauna, saunas finland, temperature, sauna session,
To find the best Roofers Dublin company, click here for Ace Roofing Dublin.
If there is one country that loves to take a relaxing sauna, it is probably the country of Finland. Finnish claims that in their country is the home of the original sauna experience. Finnish saunas are not only used by the locals of Finland to relax and unwind or trim down their bodies. Sauna for them is a prime part of their culture. They think that sauna is a necessity not a luxury. That is why in every household in Finland you can see at least one or two saunas installed inside their home or built in their outdoor area.
For you to be able to experience an authentic sauna experience, you must try any of the Finnish saunas in Finland. Since it is a part of their culture, they even have several customs that people do not usually do in other places offering sauna. They first start it off by setting the sauna heater to eighty to one hundred degree Celsius. Afterwards, water is splashed on the hot stones located at the top of the sauna stove known as kiuas. This produces a nice warm steam which they call loyly, making the room even hotter.
Some Finnish saunas use boughs of Finnish vasta, which is made up of silver birch. It is a set of leaves having a nice fragrant that are being used in saunas in Finland to beat their selves gently. The Finnish vasta or vihta are said to have calming effects on the muscles. Moreover, if you have a lot of mosquito bites or other insect bites, this will surely calm the effects in your skin. After having a relaxing time inside the warm sauna room, it is a custom in Finland that you jump right into the nearest swimming pool, lake or sea to cool down your body. But during the winter, people they go rolling in the snow or even taking a dip in the avanto (a hole cut within the ice) instead. They end the whole sauna session by eating a local Finnish sausage or by drinking beer at the dressing room.
There are also some Finnish saunas that are using a small house not just a room. This is called savusauna, otherwise known as smoke sauna. The small house used does not have a chimney. Huge amount of woods are burned in a large stove and allowing the smoke fill the whole room. Once the temperature is already hot enough, they splash water to the wood in order to kill the fire and ventilate the smoke produced. The remaining heat in the stove will now be enough for the whole sauna session. However, there are now lesser people Finland using this type of sauna since it requires so much time, effort, as well as skills just only for heating the whole area.
And because of its gained popularity all over the world, Finnish saunas are now becoming one of the major tourist attractions in Finland, especially during their winter season.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Israeli futurologist predicts terror horror
Run for the hills
Western nations have less than 20 years to prepare for the next generation of terror threats, according to Dr Yair Sharan, director of Tel Aviv University's Interdisciplinary Centre for Technology Analysis and Forecasting.
These could consist of suicide bombers remote-controlled by brain-chip implants and carrying nano-technology cluster bombs, or biological compounds for which there is no antidote.
It is hard to imagine how we are supposed to prepare for such a future, but Sharan, who presented his dire predictions to an audience of spook industry bigwigs last week, has some idea about what the US and its allies should do about it.
"Europe is naive with its love of privacy," he told The Register. "It's the weak point in the chain."
The spook industry is already doing its best to prepare for the worst, and gaining a sense of history about what it is doing.
Sharan's take on geopolitics can only put wind in their sails: "Why should we be more worried about death today?" he said at the Royal United Services Institute conference on Homeland Security last week.
We get a better-educated class of terrorists these days, he told the conference, while sci/tech advances can quickly find their way into irresponsible hands, or "proliferate" through the forces of globalisation. Not only that, technology is always smaller and cheaper, making it inevitable that bad people are going to get their hands on some bad-ass weaponry.
Most bizarre of all his predictions is "the recruitment of huge numbers of suicidal candidates - human bombs - by mind control techniques".
Brain chip implants could create a more obedient servant than conventional techniques like hypnosis: "Imagine that this suicide bomber is remote controlled and cannot give up, even if he wants," warned Sharan.
This might be some way off, though - Sharan estimated it would be more than 10 years. Within five years, however, we might be faced with terrorists armed with powerful new explosives delivered by robot. Even remote controlled toys might be used to deliver dangerous payloads into crowded places like supermarkets, he said.
Some of these payloads, also conceivably within five years, would be constructed using radical nanotechnology that could produce something called the MOAB, or Mother of All Bombs. Nanotechnology, which is made using components one billionth of a metre across, might also give terrorists the means to release malicious nanobots into people's bloodstreams.
Terrorists might also get their hands on new biotechnology that could give them powerful new weapons. "Imagine anthrax that would stand against antibiotics," he said. "It's possible to do that - to build a new kind of anthrax that would be resistant. It was done by Russia - the knowledge is there and might fall into the hands of terrorists."
Sharan said we should also worry about terrorists getting their hands on cluster bombs. Now where might they have got that idea? ®


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The Concord City Auditorium is a beautiful historic theater owned and held in trust by the City of Concord. The auditorium was built on the western side of City Hall in 1904, and recently restored with volunteer community support.
The theater house seats between 835 and 841, depending on the configuration of the orchestra seats. The orchestra has seating for 524 to 535 guests, including 9 wheelchair locations. There are 247 seats in the front balcony and 64 second balcony seats. The space is ADA accessible, including the restrooms. The gilded proscenium arch surrounds the 25-foot by 25-foot stage performance area. There is a small orchestra pit. Backstage facilities include nine dressing rooms and three restrooms.
Intermission hospitality is offered in the reception lobby. Additionally, this space is available to rent for meetings and receptions. The lobby's capacity is 65 seated guests and 140 standing guests. Recent users include rotary clubs, historical societies, political events, and business and civic organizations. The lobby is rented out in four-hour blocks.
The space has no kitchen facilities but users may bring in refreshments to serve.